


3, 2, 1, Critmas!

by Terygon



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Constructive Criticism Welcome, F/M, au: modern, christmas-ish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-16
Updated: 2017-12-16
Packaged: 2019-02-15 14:58:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13033587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Terygon/pseuds/Terygon
Summary: Before the holiday get-together...





	3, 2, 1, Critmas!

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Whatever-You-Celebrate! Let me know what it is and I'll celebrate it, too! (In my own way, of course.) Hope you all enjoy my little gift.

“Hey, guys, let's go get some wings! On me!”

“Sorry, Grog, we're going over to Whitestone this afternoon.”

Grog grunted. “Bummer, but they'll have prime chow there, too.”

As the big guy's face remembered his smug smiles over his gift cards to the Wonderful World of Wings, and Pike grinned at her card to Monster Mike's Gym and Gear, Scanlan opened his own envelope.

“Aw, guys, this is great. Electric Slide Music. How did you know?”

Pike rolled her eyes. “You mean beside the hour and a half you make us spend there every time we pass?”

“I wanted to get you one to Lady Tanya's house, but Pike said no,” Grog grumbled.

Scanlan turned to his girlfriend, wondering if he'd ever not get that shiver up his spine when he thought that word. He hoped not. “Pikey? I thought you said you were OK with us visiting Lady Tanya's.”

“Oh, I am.” Pike reached behind herself and pulled up an envelope. Opening it she waved three chits. “It's just that the Lady wanted to thank me for not keeping her best clients from visiting, so she gave us all passes for BOGO's for the first quarter of the New Year. Gift cards seemed excessive.”

Grog whooped and Scanlan leaned over to give his girlfriend (oh, yeah, that shiver) a kiss.

* * *

Vex leaned back onto her husband's chest, breathing deeply, relaxing after trying out one of his presents. “Darling, I'd say that... gift was an unqua-... unqualified success.”

“I am so pleased to hear that, dear.” As Percy raised his head from the crease of her neck, his gaze fell on the clock on the mantle. “But as much as I'd love to stay here and confirm our findings, we should probably get cleaned up, dressed, and ready to greet our friends.”

She groaned, snuggling closer. “Must we?”

“I'm afraid we must.”

“Well, if we must...” Instead of standing, though, she twisted around in his lap until they were face to face. “But first, I have one more thing for you.”

“It doesn't go with that sweater you gave me, does it?”

“No, it has nothing to do with that, and you _are_ wearing it tonight. A bet's a bet.”

It was Percy's turn to groan. “As you say, darling.”

“You'd best believe 'as I say'. No, it's something else entirely.” She placed her hands along both sides of his face and held his gaze.

“I need to say that I know we haven't talked about it for a long time, and not much even then. I'm fine, really, except I'm nervous and often nauseous, and I swear I wasn't trying because I wouldn't without your consent, as that wouldn't be fair to any of us, but everything is proceeding as expected, so – ”

“Vex-ahlia, my love, stop and take a breath,” Percy directed. “What is proceeding as expected?”

She inhaled, exhaled and inhaled once more. “I'm pregnant. We're going to be parents.”

She waited for a response, but when she didn't get one she tried a small smile. “So, Happy... Percy? Percival, breathe.”

His mouth opened and closed, goldfishing as he tried to follow orders.

“Out first, Percival. You've knocked out your wind.”

He couldn't seem to process her words as his face became an alarming shade of red. Falling back on old habits, she back-handed him in the belly with all of her (admittedly not considerable) strength. The blow jump-started his breathing, and he drew breath in, then released it. Drew in, released.

When his complexion was back to de Rolo pale, Vex's hand brought his gaze back to her.

“Can you tell me how you're feeling?”

“How am I feeling?” He blinked at her, his eyes slowly stopping their metaphorical spinning. “There will be more of you in the world. How could I not be elated? There will be more of me in the world. How could I not be terrified?”

“I suppose we should talk.” Her voice was uncharacteristically small, and it was his turn to bring her face toward his. “I mean, if you're not ready, if you don't want it, I suppose we'll just...”

Her sentence faded at the end, but he heard her.

“Give her away? No!” He picked her up, turned her around and pulled her back against him again so he could stroke his hands over her still slim belly. “You just gave her to me! You can't take her away. Unless... you don't want her?”

“Don't want her? My heart nearly exploded when I heard, but you said you were terrified.”

“You missed the elated part,” he whispered in her ear, feeling her shudder at the his breath's touch. Vex relaxed against him until a thought intruded. Percy felt a familiar tension seep into her body.

“Oh, darling.”

“I know, it's just... I always believed... no, I knew that if this were ever to happen, he'd be beside me.”

“He is, love. He is.”

* * *

Keyleth walked the paths of the Parchwood Community Greenspace. It was a beautiful place, a place she needed, especially that morning. She hadn't yet reached her goal of the shade under the oaks at the far side of the park, but walking through the snow-crusted grass was pleasant as well. Well, as much as anything could be pleasant in her current mood anyway.

She was due at Whitestone Court in a few hours, but she needed some alone time before meeting her friends. She briefly regretted not going to her father's for the holidays, but only briefly. She was needed here. She may have lost her heart, but they had all lost a friend and Vex had lost half of herself. And if she was being honest with herself, she could really use the comfort of all of them being together again.

A croaking _caaw_ sounded as she reached the treeline. It was too deep to be a crow, which made Keyleth cringe a little; ravens were somehow both salve and scourge to bruised emotions that didn't seem to be ready to be soothed. When the bird landed on a branch several feet ahead of her, she managed to resist finding a rock to throw, there not being enough snow under the trees to make a ball. It cawed again and raised one foot to show something dangling from its toes. Uninterested she turned down another trail before she reached the bird.

Less than a yard from where she turned off she heard flapping, along with an indignant squawk. The raven had followed, then passed her, scolding ferociously as it dropped the thing it held into her hair.

“Ow! You little shit!” As she rubbed her scalp, she knocked the thing off her head. She got a glimpse of shiny as it fell, heard a _ching_ as it landed. Continuing to walk without picking up the item seemed to incense the bird, which dove to grab it as its scolding acquired the sound of avian cursing.

This time she moved her head and caught it before it hit the ground. “OK, OK, if it will shut you up – ”

It was just a silver chain with a simple, heart-shaped pendent, but the engraving it bore struck her silent. It read:

_Love Still  
Love Again  
Love Forever_

Keyleth looked for the raven, but it had flown off as she was distracted. Rereading the engraving she tried to absorb the meaning. A statement, a directive, and a promise? She wondered who the engraving was intended for. Obviously not her, no matter what the stupid bird thought, or how it was exactly what she needed to know just then.

Percy would say it was a coincidence. Vex would be convinced it was a message from her brother. Scanlan would sing a dirty ditty about romance-minded corvidae. Grog would shrug and ask when dinner was. Pike would ask what she thought it was.

She didn't want to think about it anymore. The necklace tucked into one of her many pockets, Keyleth walked a few more minutes, then turned back to the parking lot.

It was going to be good being with them all.


End file.
